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Maggi noodles timeline of events

9 November 2015

4 November 2015

All three NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) accredited laboratories - mandated by the Bombay High Court – find samples of the newly manufactured Maggi noodles to be safe for consumption, with lead content well within permissible limits.

16 October 2015

Test results from all three laboratories mandated by the Bombay High Court show Maggi noodles to be safe, with lead content well within the permissible limits.

In compliance with the orders of the Bombay High Court, Nestlé India commences manufacturing Maggi noodles and submits the new batches for fresh tests to reconfirm they are safe for consumption.

13 August 2015

The Bombay High Court overturns the government’s ban on Maggi noodles, arguing that the move was “arbitrary” and “that principles of natural justice were not followed.”

The court rules that Nestlé India can bring the product back to the market if fresh tests – conducted in three accredited laboratories on the existing samples and subsequently on the freshly manufactured product– find the product safe.

11 August 2015

The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) files a class action lawsuit against Nestlé India on behalf of Indian consumers.

It asks for close to USD 100 million (INR Rs 639.95 crore) in damages on grounds of "unfair trade practices, sale of defective goods and sale of goods to the public by selling Maggi Oats noodles without product approval.”

30 June 2015

11 June 2015

Nestlé India files a legal petition with the Bombay High Court, seeking a judicial review of this order. As the case progresses the company cites a number of arguments, including the following:

The FSSAI order was passed without giving Nestlé a proper hearing

The government laboratories that tested Maggi noodles for lead – on behalf of the FSSAI and some Indian state FDAs (food and drug administration) - were not accredited for lead testing.

Tests by Nestlé and an independent accredited laboratory have found Maggi noodles safe to eat

Tests by food standards authorities in six countries – USA, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore – also found Indian-made Maggi noodles safe for consumption.

Maggi oats noodles was launched when the FSSAI ‘Product Approval’ system was under suspension.

While legal proceedings are ongoing, Nestlé continues to comply with the FSSAI order and destroys over 35,000 tonnes of the product.

5 June 2015

In light of growing consumer confusion, Nestlé India decides to temporarily stop selling Maggi noodles in India until the situation with the authorities is resolved.

Later in the day, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issues an order to Nestlé India which includes, among others, the:

Recall of all nine variants of Maggi noodles from the market

Halt of commercial activities related to the product, including sale and production

Removal of the “No Added MSG” claim from product packs

Withdrawal / recall of Maggi oats noodles as it did not have ‘Product Approval’

Nestlé India says it will remove the “No added MSG” claim on the pack – although ‘factually correct and not in violation of regulations’.

April 2015

The referral government laboratory in Kolkata says it has detected lead levels above permissible limits and the presence of MSG in its sample of Maggi noodles.

Ensuing tests on Maggi noodles samples - representing 165 million packets - by both Nestlé India’s own accredited laboratories and independent accredited laboratories show lead levels to be within the limits set by the Indian food safety authorities.

Nestlé India states that although it does not add MSG to Maggi noodles, the product contains glutamate from hydrolysed groundnut protein, onion powder and wheat flour, which can produce a positive result in a test for MSG.

January 2015

The second sample is received by the referral laboratory in January 2015.

It is analysed from January 2015 to April 2015 – significantly after the product’s shelf-life.

March 2014

Authorities in the State of Uttar Pradesh inform Nestlé India that MSG was detected in a sample of Maggi noodles that carried a “No added MSG” claim on the pack.

Nestlé India states it does not add MSG to Maggi noodles and requests a second sample to be sent to a referral government laboratory in Kolkata.